Greener Printing for Authentic Marketing Communications

Marketing is at the heart of every small business. It is almost universally cited as the number one challenge for small businesses, and is often the highest discretionary expenditure for most small businesses. Many times print advertising is sworn off by green businesses, due to the lingering doubts about the forestry industry and the excessive paper waste (not to mention energy consumption, transit miles, etc.) traditionally associated with print media. FSC certification is a good way to assure that paper used in printing comes from a sustainable source (as opposed to SFI certification, which is an industry front-group known for greenwashing).

But what about the message that companies want to send? Is FSC certified paper enough to allay the fears of green consumers?

According to Bruce Barrow, Principal of GreenerDM, “The paper industry really does get a bad rap.” GreenerDM is a full service marketing communications firm (consultation, creative development, and print management), grounded in a mutual passion for changing the way businesses communicate with their consumers. Its Web to Print Store allows businesses to quickly and responsibly print, using high amounts of post-consumer recycled paper products. The store itself is a sustainable operation: all orders are printed on digital presses powered by renewables. GreenerDM also offers carbon offsets as part of a package.

Marketing communications firms like GreenerDM interweave sustainability into the brand messaging, offering a difference from traditional point-click-print solutions that don’t incorporate creative genius. By engaging sustainability professionals like GreenerDM, your small business can avoid inauthentic communications that can deter customers.

“By having on-staff principals both educated in and experienced in sustainable business, creative development, and print management for Fortune 500s; GreenerDM is able to bring this expertise and apply it to communications for small and medium-sized businesses in one place—affordably and at the quality they deserve,” says Martin Kojnok, a graduate of the Presidio Graduate School and Principal of GreenerDM.

Authentic communications are one of the seven non-negotiable strategies for marketing green identified in a free report by GreenBusinessOwner.com. Engaging a full service marketing agency with sustainability professionals like GreenerDM is a great way to generate authentic messages on authentic materials to connect with authentic customers.

» Next post:

I totally agree with the idea of paper not being the only ingredient in a green print recipie.

I work at a commercial press in Western Colorado. We have been green and sustainable for a LOT longer than it has been “cool” to be green or sustainable. We firmly believe that paper choices, in and of themselves, are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to sustainable printing practices. Make ready, line screen, lighting, solvent distillation practices…these are all important parts of a sustainable effort…yet paper is the only thing most people know about or try to verify when looking for a “green” commercial press.

…to my blog to review the array of sustainable commitments we use every day at CPC…all of which add up to a very sustainable answer to this puzzle.

Please contact me and I as I am happy to show you how we can help with your TRUE GREEN commercial print communication needs. We are happy to partner with you on your quest to print greener…from our traditional presses to variable data/digital we have lots of green answers!

New York, NY: May 14 – May 16Sustainable Cosmetics Summit Taking place in New York City on 14-16th May, the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit will showcase major developments in green ingredients, distribution, social and customer impacts. Register here.

San Diego: Jun 1 – Jun 4Sustainable Brands 2015 Reinvent yourself in response to changing norms. The demand for brands to deliver purpose is soaring. Get a 20% discount with the code "NW3pSB15sd"Register here.

Publisher

Editor-in-Chief

Core Team

Information

TriplePundit.com is published under a creative commons license. You are free to republish only headlines and excerpts of 3p articles except where explicitly permitted by agreement with 3p. We reserve the right to ask any publication to cease syndication. Please Contact Us for details or read more here.